Austin Master: Waste Disposal at a Cost

Austin Master is a fracking waste processing facility located in Martins Ferry, OH. It has been operational within city limits since 2015 and is located just approx. 1,000 feet from the city’s drinking water wells and 500 feet from the Ohio River. The drill cuttings, sludge, and brine, some of which is radioactive, was permitted to be processed in the former Wheeling-Pitt Steel building in the industrial area by the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources. Recently, the Ohio Attorney General, Dave Yost sued the facility for improper storage of waste materials and waste on the floor, and thousands of tons of excess waste being stored beyond permitted limits. This facility is also in a floodplain. The recent flooding of the Ohio River in April resulted in water coming up to the front doors of the facility. The future of this facility is unknown, and it needs cleaned up and extensively monitored immediately.

 

Originally, Austin Master was located in Youngstown, but when the fire chief began investigating their practices in 2014, the owners moved operations south away from prying eyes.

 

We are raising funds to help provide support to efforts on-the-ground in and around Martins Ferry to:

 

1) Educate the community about these concerns.

2) Develop relationships with elected representatives and to advocate for a healthy, safe, and protected environment.

3) Increase awareness about the risks posed by Austin Master through print and media materials.

 

Your donations will directly impact the success of this work. For any questions about this, please contact us at: [email redacted][dot]org.